Paris Je T'aime (2006)

English translation: Paris, I love you!

Directors: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gérard Depardie , Gurinder Chadha , Sylvain Chomet, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant

Story: Bruno Podalydès , Paul Mayeda Berges , Gurinder Chadha , Gus Van Sant , Ethan Coen , Joel Coen , Walter Salles , Daniela Thomas , Christopher Doyle , Gabrielle Keng Peralta , Rain Kathy Li , Isabel Coixet , Nobuhiro Suwa , Sylvain Chomet , Alfonso Cuarón , Olivier Assayas , Oliver Schmitz , Richard LaGravenese , Vincenzo Natali , Wes Craven , Tom Tykwer , Gena Rowlands , Nadine Eid , Alexander Payne

Cast: Willem Dafoe, Elijah Wood, Nick Nolte, Natalie Portman, Steve Buscemi and many more

Time: 120 minutes

Bottom-line: Impossible not to enjoy; different stories entertain different people

He who contemplates the depths of Paris is seized with vertigo.
Nothing is more fantastic. Nothing is more tragic.
Nothing is more sublime. – Victor Hugo

Buscemi as an American tourist (Coen brothers)

The assorted collection of short films, Paris, Je T’aime is an anthology film: it features eighteen clips, shot in the different arrondissements of Paris, each directed by a different person, and with a different cast. The stories are not related at all; rather the film is like a collection of documentaries, giving the viewers to get a vicarious feeling of a Paris holiday!

Among the eighteen stories, we see a how a young male customer is attracted towards a shop worker, and goes on talking about how he believes the other to be his soulmate. We see an American tourist getting beat up by a French man and his girlfriend when he accidentally makes eye contact, thereby breaking the cardinal rule. Then there is the boy who narrates the story of how his parents – both mime artists – met in prison and fell in love. There’s the encounter between a young man and a vampire, with whom he falls in love. And to finish it off, we have a lady on her first European holiday, narrating what she loves about Paris.

 

Nick Nolte and Ludivine Sagnier, in Cuaron's sequence

The best part about the film is that it caters to all audiences. You want comedy? You got it. Tragedy? Yes, sir! Romance? Introspection? Horror (sort of)? It’s all here. Paris, Je T’aime gives us an insight into the different styles of filming of the different directors; each sequence lasts not more than 7-8 minutes, but each is more-or-less complete in itself. I, for one, liked the part directed by Cuarón (that features a single continuous shot – ah, typical Cuarón – lasting 5 minutes, revolving around a father-daughter conversation), Coen brothers (the American tourist at the station) and Tom Tykwer (the story of love between a blind boy and a struggling actress; a romance lasting 6 minutes on screen, yet capturing all the ups and downs, giving almost the same effect as a complete story; I loved the camerawork and the narrative of this part).

 

Portman and Melchior Beslon (Tom Tykwer)

The film also serves as a sightseeing opportunity. 18 districts in Paris are shown; the different people and places, the shots of other landmarks in between two clips give the viewer a good visual tour (and a good reminder if you have already been there!). Some actors like Natalie Portman and Willem Dafoe are well-established Hollywood actors, while there are a lot of new faces too. The language spoken is mainly French, but there is a little bit of English too. The sequence that Elijah Wood stars in has no dialogues at all! That’s the unique aspect of the film: each part has something special that makes it stand out.

 

A glimpse of all the stories 

There will certainly be a lot of “unevenness” in the narrative structure – each director will have their own style, and the change will be clearly noticeable. The experience, however, will be an enjoyable one; each plot offers a new insight into a new area of Paris. It’s not a great film, but if you ever wanted to visit Paris, this film will give you far more information and visuals than you expect!

My Rating: 3/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 87%

Source Code (2011)

Director: Duncan Jones

Story: Ben Ripley

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan

Music: Chris P. Bacon

Time: 93 minutes

Bottom-line: Interesting concept… story not that impressive

This French-English science fiction thriller boasts of an interesting concept: something that combines themes of Groundhog Day, Inception, Avatar… Source Code features Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga, Michelle Monaghan and Jeffrey Wright. To reveal the plot might give away hints/spoilers so if you want to explore the film on your own, skip the next paragraph.

Monaghan as Christina and Gyllenhaal as Sean/Stevens

7:40 AM: Captain Colter Stevens (Gyllenhaal) is travelling in a commuter train to Chicago. To his travel partner, Christina (Monaghan) and when he looks at himself in the mirror, he appears to be Sean Fentress, a school teacher. 8 minutes later, a bomb kills everyone on board. The scene shifts to a dinghy room where we see Stevens communicates through a video screen to Captain Goodwin (Farmiga), who confirms his identity. She asks him to stay on the mission to root out the bomber who has planned to strike again in the city in a few hours. We learn that Sean is actually transported to an alternate timeline through the “Source Code” program, which allows him to experience 8 minutes of another compatible person’s life. The film talks about how Stevens tries repeatedly to catch the bomber, and the experiences he has each time.

Farmiga as Goodwin

 Gyllenhaal’s character is pretty much like Phil in Groundhog Day – he lives the same 8 minutes over and over again till he completes his mission. He remembers his previous attempts but no one around him does. The story seems a bit boring because unlike Groundhog Day, here we get to see only the same 8 minutes repeatedly, so the whole “beauty” of having that experience of reliving the time is not shown; what we do see is a tense man trying to diffuse the bomb, which I felt boring. There is barely any character development. The whole concept of source code isn’t explained that clearly either.

Gyllenhaal does well in the lead role, but I felt the story hampered his chance of showcasing his acting. He does (more or less) the same thing in the alternate timeline, and what makes his role interesting is the transition between the characters of Sean and Stevens. he subtly modifies his expressions and actions because he, unlike other passengers, knows what’s going to happen. Michelle Monaghan plays the travel partner of Sean, and does well, nothing – says the same stuff, same confused expressions… after all, her character is reliving the same time again, freshly. Vera Farmiga also has a simple role to play – just communicate to Stevens and tell him what to do, that’s it. Source Code cannot boast of its acting either.

The effects, sound and Gyllenhaal’s acting are the strong points of this sci-fi thriller. The concept I feel could have been developed further...maybe a full story could have been created instead of just this one train incident. To see Sean/Stevens slowly make progress to finally stop the bomber is something I felt boring and monotonous, but if the subtle differences in each attempt interest you then you might enjoy the movie.

My Rating: 2.5/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

No One Killed Jessica (2011)

Director: Raj Kumar Gupta

Screenplay: Raj Kumar Gupta

Cast: Rani Mukerji, Vidya Balan

Music: Amit Trivedi

Time: 134 minutes

Bottom-line: Excellent choice for the story, and good execution

One of the most infamous murder cases of Delhi, this 2011 biographical drama is based on the true events following the murder of small time model and celebrity barmaid Jessica Lal. While the actual events took place over a period of seven years, from 1999 to 2006, the film tries to give the gist of them in a little over two hours.

People generally say, that Mumbai is about money and Delhi is about power. In Delhi, nobody is a nobody. Everybody is a somebody.

30^th April 1999: Sabrina (Balan) gets a call in the middle of the night from a man named Vikram (Neil Bhoopalam), saying that her sister, Jessica (Myra Karn) has been shot dead. He narrates how three men – Manish, Vishal and Lucky – had demanded drinks at the bar during a party, and while Jessica repeatedly refused to offer it to them, Manish of them shot her. While all the evidence seems to point at Manish, and with 300 witnesses to testify, the case seems to be a simple open-and-shut one, so thinks reporter Meera (Mukerji). But months later, when she reads the headline “No One Killed Jessica”, she knows it is up to the media to make sure justice is delivered. In a city where everyone is ready to comment and complain, but hesitant to take the initiative, she has to lead.

 

Vidya Balan as Sabrina (right) and
Rani Mukerji as Meera

The Jessica murder case goes on to show the height of corruption and power in India. All it takes is money, muscle and influence to silence thousands of people and alter the course of justice; it is only a matter of targeting and threatening the common man. We see how Sabrina and her family try to protest on their own, going personally to each of the witnesses and pleading with them to testify in court, but all efforts go in vain; even Vikram, the first eye-witness, ends up saying he is not sure. Several biting dialogues bring out the harsh truth, and give a lot to think about. While the case is over a decade old, the issues of power and influence still exist.

The actual Jessica Lal

Having seen The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, I found it surprising that Vidya Balan has such a passive role in the film. Her character, Sabrina, takes the humble route to everything, which, sadly, have no place in a place like Delhi (as the film shows). With all her efforts having gone in vain, she gives up fighting. Enter Meera, the highly enthusiastic, determined journalist, who turns the tables around. Her quick thinking, persuasive methods and bravery to bring justice irrespective of the odds against it is clearly seen in her acting, and this is one outstanding performance!

The screenplay is not an exact copy of the actual events; some of it is obviously dramatized more than the actual incidents. Nevertheless, I would have enjoyed a bit more courtroom drama. The film also gives importance to the personal lives of Sabrina and Jessica; the meeting between Sabrina and Meera towards the end is the best scene of the film, and a myriad of emotions flow through you. In general, I look forward to films that are based on true stories/people, and I must say, hats off to Raj Kumar Gupta for bringing up this infamous case to the big screen.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Sicario (2015)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Story: Taylor Sheridan

Cast: Josh Brolin, Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro

Music: Jóhann Jóhannsson

Time: 121 minutes

Bottom-line: Superb thriller; deserved a lot more recognition

In Mexico, Sicario means hitman.

One of the splendid films that went unnoticed, Denis Villeneuve’s thriller Sicario is a story about the drug cartels in Mexico. The film stars Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin in the lead roles, with Daniel Kaluuya and Victor Garber in the supporting roles. Sicario was nominated for three Oscars: Best Score, Cinematography and Sound Editing (winning none).

 

Blunt as Kate

In Chandler, Arizona, FBI agents Kate Macer (Blunt) and Reggie Wayne (Kaluuya) lead a SWAT raid of a safe house of a Mexican drug cartel. A booby trap kills several police officers. Following this, Kate’s boss, Jennings (Garber) recommends her to a DoD-CIA joint venture – led by CIA officer Matt Graver (Brolin) – to bring down the Sonora cartel lieutenant, Diaz. Determined to find the men responsible for the Chandler incident, Kate accepts. En route to El Paso, Kate meets Matt’s partner, Alejandro Gillick (del Toro). Matt tells Kate their plan is to disrupt the drug trade to such an extent that Diaz is called back to Mexico by his boss, Fausto Alarcón. During the operation, Kate finds several suspicious incidents: Alejandro’s foggy background, the refusal for arrest warrants… but is repeatedly overruled by Matt and her boss. What is the actual mission? What is Kate’s role? And more importantly, who is doing the right thing?

 

Brolin as Matt

I’m surprised none of the actors received any Oscar nods, while all of them deserved one; del Toro did receive a BAFTA nomination though. The way he plays the shady, powerful and cunning “cop” (for lack of a better name; you don’t get to know what he actually is!), with his sudden violent outbursts, is chilling to watch; look out for the dinner table scene towards the end. Josh Brolin’s character is also full of surprises; we are first introduced to him sitting in a conference room wearing a beach shirt with bathroom slippers! Always with a wry smile and casual demeanour, we are deceived a lot when it comes to his true nature.

One main theme of Sicario is that no person is entirely good or entirely bad; every coin has two sides. This is clichéd, admittedly, but the presentation is what makes it effective. The suspense is really good, and the several exchanges between the characters are the highlights: Kate and Matt outside the tunnel, Kate and Alejandro in the climax, to name a few (Blunt’s acting is outstanding in these sequences; a pretty good choice for a female action hero I must say!). There is a lot of violence, and that coupled with Jóhannsson’s chilling score makes a gruelling watch. The cinematography is superb: the aerial shots, a few long takes, the dynamic camerawork, the greyscale and infra-red scenes are quite exciting. 

 

del Toro as Alejandro 

Sicario did not get the popularity or the awards it deserved, probably because of the not-so-famous director and crew, but boy, this is one mind-blowing thriller! The acting, cinematography, score, visuals and the craftily created characters all come together to give one of the best films of the year. Highly recommended!

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94%

Sully (2016)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki (based on the book by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart

Music: Christian Jacob, The Tierney Sutton Band

Time: 95 minutes

Bottom-line: Hanks and Eastwood in full form, in an otherwise average film!

Tom Hanks could well be on the Oscar list this year as well, with his performance as the titular character, Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger. Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney and Anna Gunn play the supporting roles in this biographical drama, based on the true incident that took place on January 15, 2009.

Captain Sully (Hanks) and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles (Eckhart) board an Airbus A320 from La Guardia airport. Almost immediately after the take-off, at an altitude of 2800 feet, a flock of geese strike the plane, disabling both engines. With the altitude being too low and time being insufficient to go back to La Guardia, Sully decides to land the plane in the Hudson river. He does so, and by some miracle, all passengers survive. While the public hail him as a hero, the NTSB criticise him of having deliberately put the lives at risk, arguing that he would have enough time to land at the runway. Sully also suffers from trauma following the incident. Will the glorious forty-year career end because of the one “risk” Sully took?

 

Hanks as Sully (left) and Eckhart as Skiles 

Forty years I’ve been flying and now they judge me because of 208 seconds?!

The main theme of the film is whether what Sully did was the right thing. First, we see the aftermath of the incident – the trauma, the case against Sully and the TV interviews showing Sully being regarded a public hero, then we actually flash backward to January 15, and see the incident from Sully’s point of view: from take-off, to the landing, till the official confirmation arrives that everyone survived. It’s not a full biopic – rather a documentary type film based on this one incident. There’s no exciting action; mostly it is just people talking.

Tom Hanks looks so different in Sully, with his snow-white hair and moustache. His acting though, is still impeccable. This is a guy who can play any role you give him. The authority, confidence and style with which he executes the captain’s role is amazing. Eckhart and the others have very little to do, comparatively. Hanks’ acting is what you should see the film for, in my view. Eastwood’s direction is quite good given the story, but I found it a tad boring at times. The emphasis shifts irregularly, between the case against Sully and his personal trauma/family.

I would never have imagined this one incident being the source of a 95-minute film, but only directors like Eastwood can accomplish that. Watch the film for Tom Hanks’ scintillating performance; the rest of the film will just blend around that!

My Rating: 3/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

Jazbaa (2015)

English translation: Passion

Director: Sanjay Gupta

Screenplay: Sanjay Gupta, Robin Bhatt (remake of the Korean film Seven Days)

Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi

Music: Amjad-Nadeem, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Amar Mohile

Time: 128 minutes

Bottom-line: Good thriller, but with too much drama

Aishwarya Rai returns to the screen after a five-year hiatus with this legal drama, Jazbaa, and that, by itself, is a delight for all the Rai fans. The last time I saw her as an action heroine was in Dhoom 2, and in this film too, she plays a powerful lead role. Anuradha Verma (Rai) is a prominent lawyer with a highly successful career. She is also the single mother of Sanaya (Sara Arjun). One day, in her school, Sanaya gets kidnapped. The captor informs Verma that she must defend a criminal, Niyaaz, accused of rape and murder of a young woman.

 

Rai as Anuradha

All the evidence points to him, and it seems quite clear that Niyaaz is guilty. Verma takes help from the policeman in charge of the case, Yohan (Khan), who is now being accused of corruption. Verma also faces pressure from a politician, whose son is involved in the case, as well as the victim’s mother, Garima (Azmi), for so shamelessly fighting to defend a ruthless criminal. What Verma does to save her daughter, and career, is what the film is about.

The best part of the film is the twist ending. At one point, I felt that there were too many characters being introduced – which made the plot a touch hazy – but in the end the film tied everything up, with a new twist to ponder over. The twist reminds me of an Agatha Christie story, but the way it was executed here was really effective. There is too much drama at times, not to mention the accompanying over-acting! Don’t expect much courtroom drama in the film; the emphasis is more on the mother-daughter relationship.

 

Irrfan Khan as Yohan

That’s one reason why the exchanges between Garima and Verma are interesting to watch. Both are mothers fighting for their daughters, but neither seems to understand the plight of the other (or do they?). Shabana Azmi has done well in acting, using all her experience to play a mature, well-composed role. Irrfan Khan, as always, does what he does best: plays the stylish cop with occasional outbursts of violence and sarcasm, adding yet another movie to his list of excellent supporting performances!

Aishwarya Rai’s performance is commendable most of the way, barring – as I said – the occasional bits of over-acting (with unwanted close-ups and slo-mo shots too). She plays the mother role far better than that of a lawyer, but then, the legal bits of the film aren’t what you should be scrutinising anyway. Watch Amitabh’s Pink if you want a proper courtroom drama. I do appreciate the fact that Sanjay Gupta wrapped up the film in less than 2 hours without any song sequence and such… that itself has become so rare these days!

 

Azmi as Garima

Overall, Jazbaa is a fairly well-made drama, with good bits of acting from everyone. It’s not great, but wait for the end and you might take away a superb twist ending.

My Rating: 3/5

Children of Men (2006)

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Screenplay: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Cast: Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Clare-Hope Ashitey

Music: John Tavener

Time: 109 minutes

Bottom-line: One of the best sci-fi films of the past decade

The last one to die… please turn out the light.

Set in a Dystopian future, Alfonso Cuarón's science fiction drama, Children of Men, is certainly a top contender for portraying the most sadistic or most violent future on Earth. The year is 2027, and for 18 years, women have been infertile on the Earth. Humanity is facing extinction, and the whole world is in chaos; the UK – one of the few stable governments – has become a police state, rounding up and detaining immigrants. The lead character, a former activist, Theo Faron (Owen), is given a job by a militant’s immigrant group (led by his estranged wife Julia (Julianne Moore)) to secure transit papers for an African woman named Kee (Ashitey). The reason? Kee is pregnant.

This is where Cuarón brings in science fiction and other theories: Kee is the first pregnant woman in 18 years, and her character was written into the movie based on Cuarón's interest in single-origin hypothesis. With the baby being the symbol of hope, Theo is desperate to take Kee safely to the “Human Project”, a scientific group dedicated to curing infertility. The problem…a group called the Fishes want the baby to support the revolution, and their leader wants to assassinate Theo. The chase that ensues as Theo, Kee and a former midwife, Miriam, along with help from Theo’s friend Jasper (Caine), struggle to evade the war/military/Fishes and several other death threats, is what the film is about.

 

(From left) Ejiofor as Luke, Ashitey as Kee, Miriam, Owen
as Theo, and Moore as Julia 

Children of Men excels in several technical aspects, as expected from a Cuarón film. The continuous takes (something I loved in Gravity too) and the shaky-cam technique add to the feel of the war zone, and the visual effects are simply astounding; a lesser known fact is that Kee’s baby is created entirely out of CGI. I liked the futuristic setting too – depressing as it may be – with grey skies, roads covered with debris, dust, blood and bodies, the explosions, the gun-fire…the film does have a lot of graphic violence: murders, executions, and a lot of bloodshed. Yet the cinematography and direction are so superbly done that there is just enough violence (not to forget the suddenness of the outbursts) to make the viewer feel the shock as well.

 

Caine as Jasper 

The story ends a little abruptly, in the sense that a lot of things are left to interpretation. The emphasis of the film was more on how desperate humans become in the future, and how utterly chaotic the world will be, and importantly, how many sacrifices are made for a better cause. The baby is like the light at the end of the tunnel, but the end is not reached in the 109 minutes; what we see is only the darkness. Cuarón and the other writers have beautifully woven a tale combining science-fiction, violence, action and a little philosophy too. In the end, you might not take away an adrenaline-pumping thriller story, but you will have a lot to ponder about.

This is the first film of Clive Owen that I have seen and I was impressed. He takes on the role of a leader, fighting all odds, losing his friends, all for the greater good. Michael Caine and Ashitey have done a really good job too. Children of Men is certainly one of Cuarón's best, and with its thought-provoking story, amazing CGI and editing, it is one of the best films of 2006 (the same year we saw The Departed, Blood Diamond, Little Miss Sunshine, The Lives of Others, Pan's Labyrinth,  to name a few).

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

Lucy (2014)

Director: Luc Besson

Story: Luc Besson

Cast: Scarlett Johannsson, Morgan Freeman

Music: Éric Serra

Time: 90 minutes

Bottom-line: Nonsensical, but fun

Humans can, at the most, use up to 10% of their brain capacity.

This popular myth is the underlying theme for this science-fiction thriller Lucy. Starring Scarlett Johannsson, Morgan Freeman and Choi Min-sik, the film intrigues us with the possibility of exploration of the human brain, but also goes way off-course with its nonsensical stunts and superhero-like action.

Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it? (opening line)

Lucy (Johannsson) is an American woman studying in Taipei. Tricked into working as a drug mule, she is forced to deliver a case to a Korean mob boss, Mr. Jang (Min-sik), containing four packets of CPH4, a synthetic drug. Herself and three others have one bag sewn into their abdomen to transport to different parts of Europe. However, an injury causes Lucy’s bag to break open, releasing the drug into her blood. This gives her abilities like telekinesis, mental time travel and she now feels no pain or desire or emotion. She is able to remember everything and also control devices. Meanwhile we come to know about the myth through Professor Norman (Freeman), and we realise that Lucy’s brain is developing far beyond the expected 10%. This gives her more and more power but lesser time to live. With Jang hot on pursuit, how does Lucy use her gifted powers, as her life clock ticks away?

 

Johannsson as Lucy

Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what to do with it. (closing line)

Scarlett Johannsson does quite well for an action hero (she also plays Black Widow in both the Avengers movies), and with knives, guns and lot of special effects, her character Lucy is one to look out for! First she plays an ordinary human, petrified when she notices the doings of Jang. Later she plays a “superhero” with exceptional mind-control powers, with barely any emotion or feeling. Morgan Freeman has a very small role to play; I think they used a veteran actor just so that the viewers would pay attention to the science he talks about (else all eyes on Johannsson obviously!!).  

Freeman as Prof Norman

The visual effects are amazing; look out for the visuals shown towards the end when Lucy reaches almost a 100%. The story is, as I said, intriguing at first; however, after a point her powers seem to be too exaggerated; while it is impossible to predict what would happen if we could use even 25% of our brain capacity (assuming the myth is true), I doubt anyone can do the stuff that Lucy does. But that’s the fun bit of the film I guess. I would have liked it better if the focus was more on the science part rather than the action, making it more of a serious watch than an action flick. The ending is poor; there are a few loose ends, and it was too abrupt.

While the storyline needs a lot of work, the acting by Johannsson is quite impressive. The effects are good and few selected scenes are worth watching. But overall, a poorly made film.

My Rating: 2/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 67%

  

M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016)

Director: Neeraj Pandey

Story: Neeraj Pandey, Dilip Jha

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Disha Patani, Kiara Advani

Music: Sanjoy Chowdhury, Rochak Kohli, Amaal Mallik

Time: 190 minutes

Bottom-line: A good attempt to make a biopic, but could have been a lot better

The man, we know; his story, we don’t.

Cricket fan or not, every Indian knows the man Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the captain famous for making India win the cricket World Cup at its home ground, 28 years after the first victory. In 2016, Neeraj Pandey brings his life to the big screen, and the film starts off with none other than the finals of the 2011 ICC Cup, with the timeframe quickly shifting to Dhoni’s childhood. Like any typical middle class Indian family, education always comes first to the parents. Somehow, in Dhoni’s case, his parents fully support his career, with a high level of commitment from his side as well. The story goes on to show his journey as a ticket collector, his two love interests, and his progress in the Indian team till the night he leads his team to the World Cup victory.

 

Rajput as Dhoni, with Patani as Priyanka

Biopics usually have a much higher chance of leading to controversial issues compared to other films, and even more so when the person you’re filming about is alive, and in this case, the person is still active in his career too! The story has several strengths, the important ones being that most facts are true, and the parts of the movie shown after his entry into the Indian team are chosen correctly (and even scenes like the encounters with Yuvraj Singh), in the sense, to see all the memorable moments that track Dhoni’s success on screen would bring a smile to all his fans, and Pandey did well to capture the highlights of his career (his first match, to the 2007 World Cup exit and subsequent outrages of the public, to the T-20 win…).

When the movie title mentioned “The Untold Story”, it probably referred to the part where he had to work as a ticket collector to play cricket – the dilemma Dhoni had to face to choose between full-time cricket for his improvement, or part-time to earn the much-needed income for his family – and his love life; the second one with Sakshi (Advani) is something that a lot of people know, while the first, with Priyanka (Patani) – a girl whom he meets on the plane – which is verified as true by a number of sources, is lesser known. Her character could have been cut off completely, in my view; it interferes into Dhoni’s privacy a lot more than needed, apart from adding another 40 minutes to the screen time. The film doesn’t show much of his struggle either, except for that one dilemma.

 Advani as Sakshi, with Rajput

The (only) good thing that came out of this, is the song “Phir Kabhi”, which, along with “Besaabariyan”, are quite melodious (and finding such songs is becoming rarer by the day!). The acting by Sushant is top-notch. He pulls off the role with style, and whether it is Dhoni on the field, off the field, as a teenager or much older, Sushant is adept in his acting. His face has been morphed into many live match scenes which feature Dhoni. Anupam Kher, as always, has done well; he plays the role of Dhoni’s father, supporting him all the way. There are a lot of one-liners and jokes that come up here and there, which blend in well with the main track.

 

Kher as Dhoni's father

Overall, the story could have been much crisper, even if the aim of the movie was to bring out the personal life of Dhoni. The acting by Sushant overshadows the average performances of Patani and Advani, and the music is superb. As a biopic, the film needs a lot of improvement, but if you are a Dhoni fan, then M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story will be a delight.

My Rating: 3/5

Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)

Director: Vijay Lalwani

Story: Vijay Lalwani

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone

Music: Shankar-Eshaan-Loy

Time: 124 minutes

Bottom-line: Fast-paced and thrilling, with a disappointing climax

Having heard the name and story of the film in passing, I finally got to watch this psychological thriller, Karthik Calling Karthik. Like many other thrillers, the film starts off high and goes uphill, but the climax sends everything crashing. The film deals with just three (or should I say four??) characters, played by Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone and Shefali Shah.

Karthik (Akhtar) is a silent, introverted man, afraid to stand up for himself, and being picked on by everyone. He is constantly traumatised by the memory of his childhood where his brother accidentally drowns in a well and Karthik blames himself for it. Karthik is in love with Shonali (Padukone), a co-worker who doesn’t know he exists. After he gets fired, Karthik decides that it is the last straw, and is about to take an overdose of sleeping pills when he gets a call. The caller is also named Karthik…in fact, it is himself! He seems to know everything from his personal problems to bank pin number and even others’ secrets. From that day on, every morning at 5 am, Karthik gets a call, giving him advice, in return for secrecy of his existence. Karthik’s life soon becomes exciting again… until the caller gets angry when Karthik breaks the secret…

 

Akhtar as Karthik

The film draws concepts from many other films I have seen before: an “invisible friend” like that in Chamatkar or Mr. India, some concepts from Inception and psychiatry-related stuff. The story follows the typical Indian melodrama theme: simple hero, everything goes downhill, then a sudden stroke of luck, he rises up again, then is at the peak of his life, then something goes wrong again. Many aspects of the story are predictable, and in fact the truth behind the mysterious caller is pretty much the only thing that keeps you in your seat – they could have well cut out the songs… would have made the wait less agonising. The ending is, in a way, obvious and in a way, different. It’s not entirely logical, but I was expecting something more interesting! 

Padukone as Shonali

The acting however, is commendable, especially that of Akhtar. Although I felt his character transition – from the timid person lacking self-confidence to someone who even blackmails his co-worker and landlord – a bit too sudden, I was amazed the way he plays both extremes equally well. His character is what makes the film interesting to some extent… and I like the way he “hides his own identity” towards the second half of the film. Deepika Padukone plays the role of the “hot girl that everyone wants” – that pitiable girl who has been in messed up relationships before the hero comes along and impresses her by proving that he is “not like the other guys”. That just adds to the list of clichéd themes used in the film.

A few plot holes and clichés apart, the film provides a fairly fast-paced entertaining story. The ending is debatable… but seems logical (although I cannot comment on the authenticity of whatever the psychiatrist says about the mind) but somehow more nonsensical the more I think about it. It’s one of those “time-pass” movies; go with an open mind.

My Rating: 2.5/5